occupied

American  

[ok-yuh-pahyd] / ˈɒk yəˌpaɪd /

adjective

1. lived in.

   Now that he is no longer a member of the legislature, he and his family must move out of the occupied premises within 30 days.

2. (of space, time, etc.) taken or filled up.

   Have you ever walked into a public restroom and mistakenly opened an occupied stall?

3. taken possession of and controlled by a hostile military force.

   After Germany invaded in 1914, the Belgian Commission for Relief ensured that Belgians living in the occupied region did not starve.

4. employed or engaged, as one’s attention, energy, etc.; busy.

   He is often bored at home, not receiving much attention or affection from his occupied parents.

5. (of a position, office, etc.) held.

   The amount of the salary markup for working under extraordinary conditions depends on the occupied position.

6. Sometimes Occupied (of a place) taken possession of and controlled by demonstrators who see it as symbolic of a social or political issue.

   People stopped outside the occupied library to show their support for those inside, who were protesting cuts to public services.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of occupy.

Other Word Forms

• overoccupied
  adjective
• self-occupied
  adjective
• underoccupied
  adjective
• well-occupied
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of occupied

occupy ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Something that's occupied is being used or is unavailable. If the sign on the restroom door says occupied, it means there's someone in there and you're just going to have to wait. If every seat on the subway is occupied, you'll have to stand, and if the apartment you were hoping to rent is occupied, you'll have to start your search all over again. When you're busy with work, you're occupied — you're engaged, or distracted by it. And when a country is occupied, it's been invaded and taken over by a foreign power — this last meaning was first used during World War II, referring to German-occupied France.

Example Sentences

Occupied apartment buildings, meanwhile, are considered stabilized assets.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

Delegates also reached consensus on working towards "just, comprehensive, and lasting peace" in Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the "Occupied Palestinian Territory".

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

The extraordinary growth made the Occupied Palestinian Territories one of the fastest-growing renewable energy markets in the world.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2025

Baillie Gifford said the suggestion that it "is a large investor in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is seriously misleading".

From BBC • May 24, 2024

Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley’s attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend.

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

Related Words

• engaged
• peopled
• populated
• settled